Unlikely Heroes
by Moonchampion
Summary: Prelude to "Days of Reckoning." Who needs the X-Men? This is a Brotherhood fic! Todd falls for a mysterious girl in town. However, when she becomes the target of a pair of mutant hunters, its up to him and the rest of the Brotherhood to save her.
1. Default Chapter

Disclaimer: I do not own the X-Men, or any of its original characters. Nor do I have any type of claim to those characters. However, the characters of my creation belong to me, and cannot be used without my permission.

**Unlikely Heroes**

**By**

**Moonchampion**

Todd Tolansky moved down the corridor as fast as his legs could carry him.  He leapt from one side of the corridor to the other.  Fear was etched clearly on his face as he fled for his life.  Just as he rounded the corner, he heard an explosion from behind.  The force from the explosion pushed Todd forward, throwing him into a vase next to the stairs.

"Oh," moaned Todd.  "Yo, like did somebody get the number of that truck?"  Todd then felt himself being lifted into the air, and thrown upside down against the wall.  "Ouch, yo!"  Todd was plastered against the wall with his head a few inches above the floor.  "Come on, put me down!  Please!"

"Give... it... back!" exclaimed Wanda as she walked up towards Todd.  She held Todd in place with her hex powers.  Wanda leaned over and held out one of her hands in front of Todd.  "Now!"  Wanda's eyes were filled with anger.  "I mean it!"

"Okay, okay, yo!" said Todd.  He reached into his pocket and pulled out a stick of deoderant.  "I... I was only borrowing it, really."

Wanda's narrowed as she glared at Todd.  She snatched the stick of deoderant from Todd's hand and released her hex.  Todd then fell head first onto the floor with a loud thud.  "Ow!  You couldn't let me down any easier, yo?!"  Wanda turned towards Todd again, the fury clear in her eyes.  Todd looked up and chuckled nervously.  "Uh, just kidding.  Really."

"Don't... ever... touch my things... again!" declared Wanda.  She reached down and grabbed Todd by the collar and hoisted him up.  "Got it?!"  Todd nodded his head quickly, and Wanda released her grip on his shirt.  She stared down at him one last time, before rolling her eyes in disgust and turning away.

"Now, why would you of all people want deoderant?" came Lance's voice.  Todd turned towards him, and saw that Lance, Pietro and Fred were all standing on the steps looking at him.

"Yeah," agreed Fred. "You never made it a pri– uh… pri–  uh… you never used it before."

"Wait a minute," interrupted Pietro as he snapped his fingers.  "I got it!"  Pietro dashed over towards Todd in a blur, and draped his arm around Todd's neck.  "It's a girl, isn't it?  Come on, don't deny it."

"Hold it," said Lance.  "You mean, Todd's got his eye on a girl?"

Fred looked over at Lance and then started to laugh.  "Heh heh," Fred chuckled.  "It isn't Wanda is it?"

The smile on Pietro's face quickly disappeared.  He turned to face Todd and grabbed him by the color.  "Hey, you aren't checkin' out my sister, are you?  Because if you are…."

Todd smacked Pietro's hand off his shirt.  "Knock it off, yo!" said Todd.  "I ain't checkin' out your sister!  I prefer my women without a warning label, ya know!"  Todd leapt past Pietro and over Fred and Lance.  "I'm outta here!"  Todd opened the door and stepped outside, shutting the door behind him.

Lance, Pietro and Fred all looked at each other.  After a few seconds, smiles began to appear on their faces.  "Come on, guys," said Lance.  "Let's follow him.  I've got to see who this chick is that's got Todd's eye."

"What makes you so sure he's interested in a girl?" asked Fred as he looked from Lance to Pietro.

"Trust me," said Lance.  "I Todd is even thinking about putting on deodorant, its definitely because he's got an eye on a girl."

"I think you just want to make sure that Todd doesn't have his eye on Kitty," teased Pietro.  Lance sighed as he turned towards Pietro.  Pietro held his hands up defensively and shook his head.  "Easy, Lance, you know I'm only kidding."

Lance watched Pietro as he apologized.  Finally, he started down the stairs.  "Okay, guys," said Lance, "let's go."  As Lance reached for the doorknob, the light above his head in the foyer exploded.  Lance ducked and covered his head as the shards of the light bulb fell to the ground.  "Hey, what gives?!"

"I'm going too," said Wanda from the top of the stairs.  As she started down the stairs, Pietro quickly sped out of her way.  Fred pressed himself as closely as he could against the wall.

"Geez, Wanda," said Pietro now standing next to Lance.  "If you wanted to go, all you had to do was ask."

Wanda turned to face her brother.  She looked directly into his eyes as she approached him.  When she was only a few inches away from her twin, she finally spoke.  "I don't ask… for anything.  If I want to go… I go."  She raised her hand, and hexed the front door.  The door fell forward off its hinges.  Wanda then stepped over the door and outside.  She paused and looked back at the others.  "So, are you coming or what?"

"Right behind ya," said Pietro.  Wanda turned around and continued towards Lance's jeep.  Pietro turned to Lance and Fred.  Both of his friends were looking at him, as if they expected an explanation.  Pietro only shrugged.

"You know," said Fred, "I think Mystique's gonna be mad about the door."

Lance sighed.  "Then, let her take it up with, Wanda.  Now, come on," said Lance as he stepped over the front door.  Pietro quickly sped after him and Fred followed as well, only stopping to set the door back in its frame.

*******

Dr. Bolivar Trask stood in his office looking over the production of the Sentinel prototype below.  He was almost hypnotized by the sparks flashing below as the workers welded the metal together.  However, the sound of his office door opening captured his attention.  He turned around, only to have a smile appear on his face as his daughter entered the room.

"Tanya!" said Dr. Trask.  He turned away from the construction of the Sentinel prototype to greet his daughter with a hug.  "Tanya, what are you doing here?"

"You know why I'm here father," said Tanya.  The seriousness in her voice caused the smile on Dr. Trask's face to disappear.

"We've been over this before, Tanya," said Trask.  "This is the only way to find every mutant out there, and capture them.  They're dangerous!"  Trask looked in his daughter's eyes.  "I'm doing this to protect you too!"

"You're spending millions on a robot that you're not even sure will work," argued Tanya.  "I've got another way.  Something that I've been working on."

Trask turned to face his daughter.  He arched his eyebrow, intrigued by her words.  "Really?  And what exactly did you have in mind?"

"We fight fire with fire," said Tanya.  As she gazed into her father's eyes, a sinister smile began to spread across her face.  "We use a mutant, to catch mutants."

Dr. Trask sighed and turned away from his daughter.  "Tanya, I really expected more from you.  First of all, I seriously doubt we could find a mutant that would be willing to help us in our endeavor.  Secondly, the mutant would have to be extremely powerful…."

Tanya stepped up towards her father and placed her hand on his shoulder.  As he turned around, she placed her finger against her lips.  "First of all, we already have a mutant capable of doing the job, and secondly… he's definitely powerful enough."  

Dr. Trask gazed at his daughter who pressed a button on her watch.  The door behind her slid open and a young teenage boy stepped into the room.  The boy had long white hair that was wrapped in a ponytail, and was dressed completely in black.  Tanya raised her hand and waved the boy in.  He stepped into the room, and started towards her.  Tanya smiled and turned back towards her father.  "Who is that?" asked Dr. Trask.

"This is your solution," said Tanya.  "He is a clone, created from a DNA sample we were able to obtain from the mutant Magneto.  Therefore, it's obvious how powerful he is."  Tanya smiled as Joseph stopped in front of her.  She circled Joseph once, and stopped when she was standing on the opposite side of him.  "And, he's been programmed to be completely loyal to me."

Dr. Trask studied Joseph from a distance.  He then turned towards his daughter.  After casting a final glance at Joseph, Dr. Trask nodded at his daughter.  "I see you're as determined as ever to make your point."

Tanya beamed as she looked at her father.  "I wouldn't be 'Daddy's little girl' if I weren't," said Tanya.

Dr. Trask sighed in approval as he watched his daughter.  "All right, you want the chance… you've got it," he said.  He reached on his desk and picked up a file and handed it to his daughter.  "This is the target.  If he can bring her back by tomorrow… we'll consider adding him to the Sentinel program.  Does that sound fair?"

Tanya tilted her head to the side.  "Well, I was hoping for all or nothing, but… it'll do."  Tanya took the file, opened it and began reading.  "Interesting… Bayville, New York… telepathic talents…."  Tanya looked up at her father and smiled.  "Consider it done."  Tanya then turned towards Joseph.  She snapped her fingers to get his attention.  "Joseph, let's go."

Dr. Trask watched as Tanya and Joseph left his office.  As the door shut, Dr. Trask couldn't help but smile as he watched his daughter.  He was truly proud of her.  However, he knew that he wouldn't have been the only one with those feelings.  "If your mother was here, she'd be proud of you too," said Dr. Trask to himself.  "But we'll make them pay.  We'll make every last mutant pay for taking her away from us."

TO BE CONTINUED… 


	2. Use a Mutant, to Catch a Mutant

Disclaimer: I do not own the X-Men, or any of its original characters. Nor do I have any type of claim to those characters. However, the characters of my creation belong to me, and cannot be used without my permission.

**Use a Mutant, to Catch a Mutant**

** (Unlikely Heroes Part II)**

**By**

**Moonchampion**

Todd slowly opened the door to the ice cream parlor and stepped inside.  As he entered he saw the girl standing behind the counter and smiled.  The girl turned towards the chime of the bell as the door opened. She smiled as he entered.  "Hi, Todd," she said.

"H-hey, Marty," said Todd.  He walked towards the counter and took a seat.  He sat down nervously and stared at the counter, too nervous to make eye contact.

"The usual, Todd?"  Marty asked.  Todd nodded.  "Coming right up," she said.  Marty turned to get a glass and spoon, and began making Todd a sundae.  Todd stared at her, only blissful thoughts in mind as he watched her.  He watched the way her black, silky hair flowed with her every movement.  He even got a peek at her blue eyes as she flashed a glance at him.  Marty finally came back with Todd's sundae.  She placed the treat in front of him.  "Oh, I forgot the spoon.  Just a second."

Marty reached under the counter and grabbed a spoon.  She handed to Todd, brushing her hand against his softly.  "Here you go," she said with a smile.

"Th-th-thanks," said Todd.  He heard Marty giggle as she walked away from.  Todd sank in his chair, embarrassed.  "Oh way-to-go, Todd!" he chided himself.  "You _really_ know how to impress her."  Todd began to twirl his spoon in his sundae as he sighed.

Suddenly the door opened.  In stepped a young woman and a teenaged boy.  The boy had long white hair that was tied in a ponytail, and he was dressed completely in black.  The woman with him had light brown hair.  She wore black paints, a white shirt that hugged her figure, yet revealed her belly, and a short black jacket, which she left open.

The woman searched the ice cream shop, until she found who she was looking for.  A smile spread across her face as her eyes landed on Marty.  She nodded towards her companion and they walked over towards the counter.  "Martinique Jason?" said Tanya.

Marty turned to face Tanya, first noticing her brown hair.  "Yes, can I help you?" she asked.

"No," said Tanya.  "You're the one that needs help.  Joseph."  Joseph stepped forward.  He raised his hand into the air.  The freezer containing the ice cream lifted off the floor and floated into the air, blocking any path of escape for Marty.  Marty looked from side to side.  There was no where to run.  Marty closed her eyes.

Suddenly, the sound of a car fast approaching filled the ice cream shop.  Tanya turned towards the door to see a car about to crash through the front door and hit them.  "Joseph!" Tanya called.  Joseph turned to face the car.  He held out his hand, to use his powers to stop the car.  However, the car kept coming.  Tanya held up her hands as the car came crashing through the windows and headed directly towards her until… nothing.  Tanya opened her eyes and smiled.  "An illusion… she did it!"  Tanya turned towards Marty who was still standing there, now afraid that her plan had failed.  "Take her, Joseph."

Joseph took a few steps towards Marty, but didn't give very far.  Todd's tongue whipped around his neck, and with a quick jerk Todd brought Joseph to the floor.  As Joseph hit the floor, the freezer floating in the air crashed to the ground.  Todd was sticking to the wall, as he sucked his tongue back into his mouth.  "Yo, not so fast, eh?" said Todd.  He leapt from the wall and drove both of his feet into Joseph's chest.  He then, leapt off of Joseph and landed onto the counter.

Todd looked to see Tanya headed towards them.  He opened his mouth and fired a glob of goop in her face.  Tanya quickly fell to the floor, grasping at the goop.  Todd then turned to Marty.  "Come on!" he said.  Todd took her into his arms, and started leaping towards the door.  His tongue shot from his mouth, and wrapped around the leg of a chair.  Todd slung the chair through the glass window and leapt out of the opening onto the street.

"You know those guys?!" he asked as he leapt away.  "They got some kinda beef wit' you or somethin'?"

"No," she answered as Todd leapt through the air.

"Well we gotta lay low," he said.  Todd leapt into an alley.  There he set Marty down, and peeked around the corner.  "I don't see 'em, yo," he said.  He looked back to Marty.  "You… you okay?"

"Yes, thank you, Todd," said Marty.  She offered him a smile.  "I guess you know that I'm a mutant now."  Marty looked towards Todd.  "A mutant... just like you."

Todd opened his mouth, but no words came out.  "Uh, Marty," he began, "I know this is real bad timing and all, yo, but I was kinda wondering why you were always so nice to me."

Marty smiled and moved towards Todd.  "I like you, Todd," she answered.  Marty allowed a smile.  "_And_ I also think you're kinda cute."

"Really?!" said Todd.  Marty laughed slightly and nodded.  "Whoa!  I… I… I don't know what to say, yo."

"You could always scream for help," came a voice.  Todd and Marty looked in the direction that the voice had come.  At the open end of the alley, the only way to escape, they saw Tanya and Joseph.

"Aaaahhhh!" shrieked Todd.  His first reaction was to make a run for it, but he then saw Marty, backing away, afraid as well.  Todd stepped in front of her.  "If you want her… you gotta go through me!"  Marty looked at Todd in surprise, but was happy that he stood up for her.

Joseph only arched an eyebrow at the pitiful display of chivalry.  "That won't be a problem," he said.  Joseph waved his hands, and garbage cans began to float in the air, and move on top of them.  Suddenly, a large Dumpster turned over.  The top opened and slowly started to slide towards Marty and Todd.  The young teens slide against the wall.  There was no escape, and they were about to be scooped into this garbage can like common trash.

Suddenly, the Dumpster came to a halt.  Joseph, slightly perplexed lowered his hand.  Then, he watched as the Dumpster was slid back across the alley.  Joseph then turned his attention to the cause of the disturbance.  On the other end of the alley stood Fred Dukes, and his hand was perched on the Dumpster that he had slid away from his friend.

The garbage cans that had been floating in the air suddenly crashed into the ground as large bricks from above crashed down on them.  Then, from behind Fred stepped Wanda.  She folded her arms as she stared across the alley to see Tanya and Joseph standing at the other end.

The ground began to shake, and the quake shook Tanya and Joseph off their feet and onto the ground.  Suddenly, following a quick breeze, they found lollipops in their mouths and a can of soda in each of their hands.  The looked at each other as another breeze swept by and then dashed towards the other end of the alley, where Pietro and Lance had stepped into view.  "Ain't they cute?" said Pietro.

Lance took a step forward.  "You okay, Todd?" he asked.  Todd nodded.  He grabbed Marty's hand and started towards his friends.  Lance then turned his attention back to Joseph and Tanya.  The pair was getting to their feet tossing the gifts that Pietro had left them aside.  "Word to the wise… you don't mess with the Brotherhood."

Tanya looked at them and laughed.  "You can't be serious?" she said.  She shook her head and turned towards Joseph and looked back at the Brotherhood.  "You have no idea who you're dealing with.  Joseph… why don't you show them."

Joseph took a step forward, and then he began to float in the air.  The crushed garbage cans began to float in the air once again.  Even the garbage can lifted off of the ground and floated towards the center of the alley.  The garbage cans began to circle over the Brotherhood.  Suddenly, the sound of the garbage cans bending to their normal state filled the air.  The Brotherhood marveled over the sight before drawing the same conclusion.

"Pietro… Wanda," said Lance.  "His powers… they're just like… like…."

"Magneto," finished Tanya.  "How perceptive of you... and how fitting that DNA responsible for bring you all together… will be what destroys you as well."  Tanya nodded at Joseph, who without hesitation began his attack.

TO BE CONCLUDED…


	3. Broken Hearts of Hope

Disclaimer: I do not own the X-Men, or any of its original characters. Nor do I have any type of claim to those characters. However, the characters of my creation belong to me, and cannot be used without my permission.

**Broken Hearts of Hope**

** (Unlikely Heroes Part III)**

**By**

**Moonchampion**

The Brotherhood stood at the end of the alley, gazing at the threat before them.  A young mutant clone of Magneto, called Joseph hovered above the ground, with all sorts of metal objects under his control.  Above the alley hovered a series of garbage cans, and in the center was a large Dumpster.  Finally, Joseph began his attack.  The Dumpster was thrust forward first.  Fred stepped up, and braced himself for the impact.  The Dumpster crashed into him like a runaway train.  It drove Fred back against the wall.  Fred pushed with all his strength against Dumpster, and held it in place.

Unsatisfied with the resistance the Blob was putting up against his assault, Joseph waved his hand across the air.  A pair of manhole covers rose from the ground.  And with the flick of a finger, the manhole covers soared through the air like Frisbees.  The manhole covers crashed into Blob's ribs on both sides, knocking the air from the boy's lungs.  Suddenly, he could no longer keep the Dumpster in place, and found himself trapped against a brick wall and the Dumpster.  After a few seconds, Blob slumped to the ground unconscious.

"Fred?!" called Todd, astonished that the Blob had been put down so easily.  "Whoa!  This guy means business, yo!"

"He hasn't seen anything yet," said Lance.  Lance stepped forward, and began to concentrate.  His eyes began to roll back into his head as the ground began to shake.  "Wanda!  Put a hex on his powers!"  Wanda held her hands up, which began to glow with a blue aura.  Suddenly, Joseph fell to the ground and the garbage cans that had hovered in the air all clattered to the ground.  Suddenly, the bricks from the neighboring buildings began to fall and land on top of Joseph, burying him beneath the rubble.

"I've got her!" said Pietro pointing towards Tanya.  He dashed towards Tanya, but as he did, he only saw a bright flash of energy grow around her.  The next thing Pietro saw, was himself on a collision course with a trash can lid.  Unable to stop, Pietro's ran directly into the lid.  His head snapped back, as his momentum continued to carry him forward.  Pietro landed on the ground a few feet directly on his back and out cold.

"How did she do that?" called Wanda as she stepped towards Lance who was looking in awe as well.  The trash can lid that Pietro had been holding was in the hands of Tanya.  She smiled at both of them, before she was enveloped in another bright flash of energy.  "She disappeared!" exclaimed Wanda as she and Lance looked around the alley.  "Is she a teleporter?"

"Not exactly," said a voice from behind.  Wanda turned around to feel and only saw a trash can lid come slamming down on her head.  Wanda grasped her head, and fell to the ground.  She tried to get up, but Tanya put her foot on Wanda's back and pushed her back onto the ground.  "I didn't teleport… I moved through time.  I simply went to a time that you weren't standing here… moved behind you… came back to the present… and well, you have a pretty good idea of what happened next."

"Well, you're gonna you stayed where you were," said Lance.  Lance raised his hand into the air and the ground began to shake again.  However, Lance found himself distracted by a familiar hum.  He looked up to see the fire escape railings on the building shake before ripping off the wall, and tying wrapping around him.

"Lance!" said Todd.  He turned to see Joseph walking towards him to stand next to Tanya.  Todd seized Marty's hand.  "We gotta go!"  Todd leapt up into the air, onto the fire escape, ignoring the missing railing, but leaping to the top of the building.

"What about your friends?" asked Marty.

"We'll come back," said Todd.  "Right now, we gotta…."  Todd stopped in his tracks as he saw a bright flash of light.  Once the flash faded, Tanya and Joseph were standing in front of him.  "Aw man."

"Give up," said Tanya.  "There's nowhere for you to run.  Once I see where you're going, I can just go into the future and be waiting for you.  It's over."

"Not quite," said a voice.  All the heads snapped in the direction of the voice to find Magneto standing on the roof.  He started walking towards them.  Tanya gasped and turned towards Joseph.  Suddenly, a second Magneto appeared on the roof… and a third… after a matter of seconds, the roof was filled with Magnetos.

Tanya looked around her, and then began to laugh.  She looked towards Marty, who had her eyes closed.  "It's an illusion, Joseph.  None of these Magnetos are real!"  

Suddenly, the Magneto that had been approaching them wrapped his hands around her neck and began to squeeze.  "Do I still appear to be an illusion?" he asked her.  Joseph prepared to come to Tanya's aid, but immediately felt a glob of green goop cover his face.  He grasped at it to get it off, but couldn't pull it off.  Suddenly, Todd leaped into the air, and drove his feet into Joseph's back.  Joseph fell onto the rooftop, still pulling at the goop.

"Good night, Miss Trask," said Magneto.  However, as the sentence ended the voice changed.  Tanya felt a needle pierce her skin.  The grip around her throat was released.  Tanya opened her eyes to see not Magneto standing there, but Mystique.  However, her vision quickly began to blur as she fell onto the rooftop with into darkness.

Mystique turned to face Todd.  "M-M-Mystique?" stuttered Todd.  "I-I-I can explain!" he said.  

Mystique cast her eyes from Todd onto Marty.  "Get out of here, before she wakes up," said Mystique.  Taking her advice, Todd grabbed Marty and headed back down the fire escape to check on his friends.  Once they were out of sight, Mystique turned towards Joseph who was still trying to free himself from the goop.  "Relax… you're almost as impatient as your genetic donor."  Mystique inserted the needle into Joseph's leg, and suddenly the struggle ended.  Mystique stood tall and smiled, before turning to leave Tanya and Joseph alone on the rooftop.

***

"Are you sure you have to leave?" asked Todd.  "I mean… we could protect you and all."  Todd sighed as he saw the look on Marty's face.  Then, he heard the train whistle signal its last call.  

Marty looked towards the train and then back at Todd.  She tried to smile, but found it difficult as she saw the look of disappointment on his face.  "I have to, Todd.  I'm… I'm sorry.  Besides, I couldn't ask you and your friends to keep risking you lives like you did to save me."

Todd sighed.  He looked into Marty's eyes, and knew that she was right.  However, there was so much that he wanted to tell her, but couldn't find the words.  Todd looked to the floor, but felt Marty's hand lift his chin.  As he looked into her eyes, the scene around them began to fade.  Everything became black and white.  Todd was dressed in a trench coat and wearing a fedora.  He quickly recognized it as a scene from the movie, "Casablanca."

"Yo, you're getting' on that train, Marty.  If you don't you'll regret it, you know.  Maybe not today… maybe not tomorrow, but soon and for the rest of your…" began Todd, and then he sighed.  "Aw, who I'm I kiddin'?  I'll regret it if you do leave."

"No you won't," said Marty.  "Because some day… I'll come back."  Marty leaned in and kissed Todd gently on the lips.  The scenery around them then began to fade back to the train station.  As they pulled away from each other, Marty wiped a tear from her eye and stepped on the train.  Todd found Marty again staring out a window as the train began to pull off.  He waved after her, and she did the same, until they were out of each other's sight.

"Don't worry, Todd," said Lance as he put his arm on his friend's shoulder.  "She said she'd be back."

"Yeah," said Pietro.  "And until she gets back, we'll keep ya company."  Pietro reached over and ruffled Todd's hair.

"Wow… lucky me," said Todd as he turned and left the station with his friends.

***

The door swished open and Tanya stepped into her father's office.  He was sitting in his chair, gazing out the window at the Sentinel being produced below.  "Daddy!  Daddy!" she called.  "There were more mutants in Bayville than we thought!  I didn't get the target, because of them, but with reinforcements I can bring them all in, and…."

Dr. Trask turned in his seat to look at his daughter.  He held up a hand to silence her as he stood.  "You failed, Tanya.  You don't get a second chance."

"What?" she asked surprised.  "Dad, we weren't expecting this type of resistance.  We're ready now.  Just give me an hour, and I promise…."

Dr. Trask sighed and shook his head.  "I'm sorry, Tanya… more than you know."  Suddenly, the doors to Trask's office opened and several soldiers stepped into Trask's office.  "I am, however, pleased that you identified more mutants… and even brought one back."

"What are you talking about?" asked Tanya.  "I didn't bring a prisoner back with me.  What mutant are you talking about?"

Trask looked his daughter in the eyes and sighed.  "You," said simply.  As the word slipped from, he could see the color drain from his daughter's face.

"Daddy, I can explain," she said.

"Yes, but…" began Tanya.  However, she stopped talking as Joseph cried out and was encased in a green gel substance that quickly hardened.  Tanya noticed an orb that had just fired the gel substance at Joseph, and turned to face her daughter.  "Daddy, please!  Don't!  I'm your daughter!  Daddy!  Daddy!  Daddy!"  Tanya's voice was silenced as the orb fired the same gel at her.  Her last movement was reaching for her father to hold her, with tears in her eyes.

Dr. Trask stared at his daughter… his little girl.  The pain that was on his face, disappeared as he took a deep breath.  "I have no daughter," he whispered to himself.  He nodded to the soldiers that had stepped into his office.  "Get these… mutants out of here."  The soldiers stepped forward and grabbed the both Joseph and Tanya, now imprisoned within the hardened green gel.

Trask turned towards one of the soldiers.  "Assemble a team to acquire our test subject.  Surveillance has informed me that he has entered the sewers.  I believe we can use that to our advantage."  The soldier nodded and turned to leave.  Trask took a seat behind his desk as the door shut.  He looked onto his desk and saw a picture of himself and his daughter, who was standing behind him.  She had her arms wrapped around his neck as she stood behind him, and both were smiling.  Trask reached for the picture, stared at it a few seconds, and finally tossed it in the trash can.  

Trask then turned in his chair, and watched silently as production of the Sentinel prototype continued.  "My entire family has been taken away by mutants," he said softly.  "I'm going to make sure that it doesn't happen to anyone else."

THE END.


End file.
